Stevie Ray Vaughan - Lenny (from Live at the El Mocambo) My journey and i mean my never ending journey with Stevie Ray Vaughn continues. Once again from the El Mocambo
Some interesting background about this song...The guitar he is playing here is named "Lenny" after his wife Lenora. He and his wife saw this guitar in a pawn shop and he fell in love with it but couldn't afford it at the time. I believe it was $350. She secretly asked friends to pool their money together to purchase it. She presented it to him on his birthday as a surprise. He was so grateful that he sat at the foot of their bed and composed this song through the night and played it for her in the morning. Notice how he is seated during the performance of this song, just as he was the night he composed it. During the performance his eyes are closed and he opens them again and looks at the crowd like he forgot they were even there. It almost feels like you are witnessing a private conversation. What a gorgeous expression of love and appreciation. 💕
I have read that background too but the real story is told by the guitar shop owner in the "Ray Hennig on Legendary Guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan" on RU-vid. Check it out. Hennig had the guitar shop where SRV hung out daily growing up. There are a couple great Ray Hennig interviews. The old strat was traded in for a Gibson by the lead of Chris Cross. I also read that SRV hocked it for bills and Lenny got it out of hock inspiring him to write Lenny.
Lenny said she couldn’t listen to the song without crying. There is no greater gift. I’ve never heard a more beautiful love song, even with words... Donna G
Desert Rat, that story was about the beat up, old Strat that Stevie called “Number One” That one belonged to Christopher Cross. This one was gifted by Lenny, as stated in the other comment. So many guitars, so many stories. Hard to keep them all straight!
John Mayer once described SRV'S style as...(I'm paraphrasing) "his playing is like a fighter jet that blast off into the air, does a bunch off loops and rolls but comes in for a landing as perfect, calm and accurate as a paper airplane"
It always makes me happy to hear someone love and appreciate Stevie Ray. His playing always moves me and this one always makes me cry. Thank you for your reaction.
Your analysis was spot on. He was able to express through his instrument like no other. No lyrics, but he meant every word. Thank you for this reaction.
"He's simply the best that ever did it". Yep. The first time I heard his version of "Little Wing" on the radio was the first time I ever felt music....and there are no words at all in that song. No other musician has come close to hitting me in the soul like SRV. I have no clue what it is about his playing, but it's just different than anyone else I have ever heard.
Stevie wrote this song for his wife, Lenny. Stevie, like so many soulful and instinctual guitar player had the ability to speak to his audience through his fingers and guitar. Stevie is expressing the deeply passionate and all consuming rapture he feels for his wife.
Stevie Ray Had a way of Bending notes That allowed him to speak through his guitar. Note, The haunting bend Showing sadness and rapid fire complex playing for an upbeat mood. We may never see this again in our lifetime. This is the kind of music you like to hear driving down the highway at 2 am windows down and no other cars around. Great choice !!!
I don't often listen to Lenny. It was a personal conversation between Stevie and his wife. Shows the devotion, love, passion, dysfunction, heart break, etc that made up their relationship. He never played Lenny again after divorce and everything with it was done and dusted. Sometime in 1988 was last time. It hurts me to listen to this song knowing what I know about Stevie. He went into rehab and called three people for help. Martha, his mother, Lenny, his estranged wife were first calls. Lenny refused him. He called Janna last as a grasping breath of hope. She wasn't what he even would have chosen. Even then, at the lowest Stevie was in his life, as was Lenny, (drugs was a major exacerbator of issues with Stevie and Lenny), he loved her and needed her. Janna...she helped him get clean...even so he never wrote or dedicated anything to Janna that I know of...nor did he marry her despite the years they were involved. He married Lenny within days of meeting her. Did he love Janna? Yes. I have seen the handwritten notes and pictures Janna put out after SRV died in response to a lot of turmoil. He loved her...but I have also read the notes that were his pleas to Janna about what wasn't working and trying to figure it out. I know, too, while divorce was proceeding as Stevie got clean and sober, he was living with Martha. Janna was living there, too. Martha didn't care for that...old-school Southern sensibilities about shacking up vs marriage. She allowed it for Stevie's sake. He'd come home from those proceedings in tears and devastated that it got that bad with Lenny...it was bitter, heartbreaking, and hopeless. He cried on his Mother's shoulder and Janna's wishing it was different with Lenny and him. He cried on his gf shoulder over not being able to reconcile with Lenny. Let that sink in. Lenny kept his name post divorce and was buried with it when she died a few years ago...let that sink in, too. That's why I don't listen to Lenny. It is a testament to a dysfunctional, doomed love between a man and his wife that each carried with them into their post divorce lives. He died shortly thereafter. She got clean and lived down in Mexico with his name until the end of her days. When you know the whole story...at least for me...I simply cannot listen to Lenny without my heart being broken afresh every time for Stevie...and even for Lenny.
Stevie is a legend and a master guitarist. I appreciate your reactions and responses. I’m like you. I can’t listen to Stevie and not be cast into another realm. It is a high for sure.
If you want to see a musician who has the gift ,1988 Austin City Limits Stevie sits on the edge of the stage and starts Lenny and right off it's muddy and after a few bars stops and tells the monitor board guy behind him what he wants in the mix and the settings .This time he starts and the sound is how he wants it and does the whole thing on live TV and the camera is only a couple feet away , and not even phased that the whole sequence was aired and finished the show. We miss him too Lenny..
Unfortunately, he and Lenora (Lenny) eventually divorced, but this beautiful song lives forever. RIP Stevie. RIP Jimi Hendrix. I have quite a few favorite guitarists, but SRV is right at the top next to Jimi. After them, I like Jimmy Page, Duane Allman, Johnny Winter, David Gilmour, Rory Gallagher, Gary Moore, Peter Green, Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton.
Mary Margaret Moore we have similar taste in favorite guitar players. I would add Gary Clark Jr as a SRV and Jimmy Vaughn disciple who is a good young player
Enjoy your reactions .. SRV is definitely a legend .. All the old blues players took him under their wing .. He idolized them .. Check out Stevie Ray and Albert Kings DVD ... Its mind blowing ..
He literally sucks down a whole cigarette in a single drag within the first 2 minutes of the song and exhales the biggest cloud of cigarette smoke I have ever seen in my life and doesn’t miss a fucking beat, what a god
Regarding reading music and what SRV does without, your reaction is 100% correct. I've been a blues guitarist for 30+ years and if I lived 100 more, I'd still be miles away from even catching his shadow on a guitar. Let it inspire you as he would have wanted for us all.
The genius in SRV like other Genius, is they play for the moment! The next night and each night following he will add and play many different licks to each song. You will not find any live show of SRV where you could say, that solo was exactly like the record or from another night. A great example, is listen to this same tune, from a poster named srvguitarlegend....titled.....Stevie Ray Vaughan....playing Lenny for the last time....it is as or more remarkable.
You are right Bryan, that version of Lenny is remarkable. The recording is not so hot, but in typical SRV style...he plays the intro but throws in a taste, teasing you with what's to come.
F-your life; come on you just discovered this beautiful music, that's something to thank life for! lol. I heard BB King said that he (himself) could make a guitar say words, sometimes sentences but Stevie could make it speak paragraphs.
I get emotional when I hear this. Your analysis is so spot on. She cried everytime he played it, she said in an interview. Listen to "Riviera Paradise", another instrumental he wrote. Just gorgeous.
I just found your channel and want to thank you for your work. I've been watching a LOT of reviewers and so many of them are too childish with their reactions that I question if they're genuine reactions or are they doing it strictly for the subscriptions. I appreciate the attention and respect you give to all your new artists you're discovering and you're analyzing them and giving what seems like an intellectually and proper reaction. I love Stevie Ray Vaughn and it is so freaking awesome that you "get it"! Keep up the good work. More Stevie please.
I'd like to introduce you to my favorite guitar player of the past 20 years.....DEREK TRUCKS.....Came on the scene at the age of 10 or 11 years old, then started his own band at 15, then on his 20th birthday, became the guitar player with the Allman Brothers Band, along with still touring with his band, The Derek Trucks Band.....then scrapped his own band, to form a band with his wife Susan Tedeschi.....calling it "The Tedeschi Trucks Band" So i'm leaving something to listen too, of Derek Trucks, who to me and others the most unique guitar player out there! Not only is his play for the moment each and every night, but his extremely unique right hand technique he accidently came up with at a very young age....... The first 3 are posted by "Floydvision" . "Desdemona" - Derek Trucks Guitar Solo "Dreams" - Derek Trucks Guitar Solo "Rockin' Horse" - Derek Trucks Guitar Solo The second 2 are posted by "Beardsy" DEREK TRUCKS AMAZING SOLOS COMPILATION part 4 DEREK TRUCKS AMAZING SOLOS COMPILATION part 5
I heard a guitarist comment on "guitar face". He said tension builds up when playing and you can't release it with your fingers so "guitar face" is common with guitarists.
Yes, but they were devorced in 1979 but never the less it was probably written beforre that time, you know you can devorce someone and still love them.
I’m most fond of “Life Without You” Live from the Capital Theatre!! It was written for his friend, Charlie, who died suddenly. Another song with soooo much fe
SRV is the best.. Check out SRV Austin City limits "Look at like sister".. He breaks a string switches guitars and never misses a beat... Also check out Tedeschi-Trucks band at Crossroads guitar Festival 2010 singing"Midnight in Harlem and The Allman Brothers at the Beacon theater singing "Soulshine"..These two groups has what I believe to be the best slide guitarist today and his name is Derek Trucks.. Keep up the great work my brother.
I ran across you and stopped I love your show and how you handle it but I just wanted to complement you on your srv clips it's like you brought a legend back alive that has left us and kind of faded away but you brought him back to life and introduced him to people that dont even know him and his talent and for that I personally want to thank you also I wanted to tell you that stevie when he first that Bob king would take srv on tour with him and play because bb saw something in him that was special and they became very close as a matter of fact when stevie left us way to early because god called another blues player home bb said he felt like he lost his own son thought I would share that with you once again thank you for bringing him back
Hello, I just subscribed I like how polite you are & you don't have a potty mouth. I'm 54 yrs old & music has never let me down I call it mind comfort . I Love the blue's. Tells my life story.. ❣️💗 I have this request. "" Mother's Finest"... The song.. Babylove
Great video, you're right SRV is one of a kind. His ability to evoke so much emotion from a piece of wood and metal is what sets him apart. Just a small tip, you should consider listening/reacting with a good set of earphones, it makes the audio quality better for you, and if you somehow directly input the audio to the video (I'm no expert but I've seen alot of other RU-vidrs do this). Then we can hear Tommy Shannon on the fender bass and Chris Layton on the drum! As stevie would say. Again great video
@@DramaSydETV this song was a tribute to a dear friend of his - his friend, Charlie and his guitar tech made and gave the white guitar used in this video to SRV who named this guitar "Charlie" -- I think in this video, Charlie had passed just a few days before this performance- close to the end of the song, SRV bends over and kisses the guitar-- I think he used this guitar every time he played this song(after Charlie's death) ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-sUeZb7Kj6G8.html
Oooh man, you got to El Mocambo but didn't cover Third Stone From the Sun from it. Please react to it. It deserves to be SEEN as well as heard by you younger generations. TY in advance.
Great song and reaction! You can't forget another guitar god that was greatly under rated, Prince. If you haven't already, check out this stage full of musical legends. Prince does an amazing job shredding the guitar after the halfway mark! Title - (Prince, Tom Petty, Steve Winwood, Jeff Lynne and others -- "While My Guitar Gently Weeps"). Link ~ ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-6SFNW5F8K9Y.html . I think you'll enjoy the song as a whole! Peace!!☮
Great stuff brother! Love the channel. Jimi Hendrix and the Band of Gypsies - 'Machine Gun' - LIVE AT THE FILMORE EAST. This song is about the vietnam war and will blow your mind.
Get time check out some Roy Buchannon , Jeff Beck , Rory Gallagher , Gary Moore , All these guys can jam on guitar 👏👏👏 go with all Live versions 👍 you will enjoy , great reaction brother
I don't know if you know that Stevie plays with 12 gauge strings.I love this piece.I want you to know I subscribed to you but there is no bell.I really like your reactions and the videos you do.Thanks have a good one.😄
Some Guitarist were born to play, and than there is people like myself that would be happy to be half as good as SRV was. Another great Guitarist that can't read music is David Gilmour. He can actually play multiple instruments really well. Basically every instrument you ever hear in any of the Pink Floyd's songs he plays at his home himself.
Can you or have you reacted to Dirty Pool? Montreax is one of the only live videos that l can find. Some rare audio of Stevie playing it in the 70s which is wild.
At one4 point, you stopped the video and said that he was turning or playing those notes inside out. Did you mean something in particular or were just using a figure of speech? My reaction the first time I hears this was pretty much the same as yours. I could not even speak for a few minutes. "Lenny" is an absolute masterpiece.
Maybe you could check out some Frank Marino videos? I find him to be also heavily influenced by the masterful guitar playing Jimi Hendrix. I like you and your selections my friend.
I love watching your reaction videos. So with that said I was jw if you would like to react to a video of me playing Lenny? If you wouldn’t mind if not I understand lol
SRV is God Mode... but outta curiosity... whadda think about this Cats playing! Its Steve Via, Tender surrender: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-VsbcysizUI4.html Or perhaps look at his live "Bad Horsie"!!! Ya Cannot deny... these two cats have the Blues built into thier souls!!!
